


even 'til death (we shall never part)

by marksung



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Battlefield, Blood, Death, Inaccurate Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Injury, Intimacy, M/M, Not Beta Read, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, The Aeneid References, Tragic Romance, hyuck just loves him, idk anymore, mark is stressed, prince johnny cameo, yukhei is briefly mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:34:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25480228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marksung/pseuds/marksung
Summary: Had they met in a different place at a different time, Minhyung would have been able to love him without the fear of the inevitable.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Kudos: 10





	even 'til death (we shall never part)

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by the story of nisus and euryalus from the aeneid!! didn't follow the original plot bc i might mess it up so if this is your thing, i apologize for ruining it..
> 
> also a big thank you to the best person in the world: jaz! i love you so much idiot <3
> 
> please enjoy this mess :)

The sun is far up high, blazing with such admirable ferocity that Donghyuck wishes he had for himself. For he is, after all, as young as he can be at the age of eighteen. And if it was not for his ability to adapt, no one would ever take him seriously. If he had been a man of great stature or a warrior whose name is known all over the world for leading great battles and his heroic deeds, he would be sure that those faultfinding bastards would finally leave him alone. Instead, he is given the physique of a small, harmless boy — which is not necessarily a bad thing for him. Donghyuck makes up for it with the skills he has honed to use for the battlefield. Countless of times, he is underestimated for it. And countless of times, he makes his opponents pay for it.

Donghyuck almost laughs at himself for what he is doing. He allows all these useless thoughts to inhabit his mind in a futile attempt to rid himself of the ability to hear what he is currently hearing.

“I will leave when the night falls.”

A scoff escapes past the stripling’s pallid lips.

_Of course._

For the entirety of the morning, this man had been looking all over the place for him. Only by midday was he able to find him alone, people-watching as he sat himself far from the crowd.

Lee Minhyung settles beside him, his dazed eyes trailed far ahead and refusing to glance at the younger. After he had been able to tell him everything he wanted to say, Minhyung now chooses to avoid making eye contact. And Donghyuck knows exactly why.

This foolish excuse of a man decided to hide some information from him, _some crucial information if he may add._ Information such as the fact that he will be sending himself into danger’s welcoming arms tonight at his own will, risking his life in a situation that only calls for luck and fighting the indomitable chance of leading himself to his own possible death without anyone to back him up but himself.

_A fool._

_A heartless fool._

“Without me,” the younger male replies. Albeit initially intending for the reply to be a question, it eventually comes off as a statement instead. As if he knows, as if he already knows the answer. Donghyuck just needs the confirmation, some kind of assurance that he badly needs right now.

“Without you, yes.”

_Ah, there it is._

Hope begins to leave the confines of his chest as fast as it first settled in. “Why?” He asks, his voice slowly giving his emotions away and out in the open. “Why are you not taking me with you?”

“I believe I already made myself clear, Donghyuck. You need to stay here. I need you to be safe.”

“Well then, I refuse to stay. You cannot just ask me to stay safe within the premises of this camp while you risk your life out there, Lee Minhyung.” Donghyuck utters with finality. “You will either take me with you, or you will not be leaving this place at all.”

Minhyung shakes his head softly, as if he was talking to a child. _A child, for goodness’ sake._ “If things were only as simple as that. Unfortunately for us, they are not. The gods above are playing with us, Donghyuck.” The soldier takes a step closer, reaching across the small distance separating them to hold the younger one’s hand firmly in his. “We are left with no choice but to find ways to survive this war. You know for a fact that I need to go, that I _must_ go. Or else the rest of us shall suffer such horrendous consequences. And as absurd as it sounds, I chose this for myself. No one else would be as foolish to take my stead.”

“No one else but me,” Donghyuck corrects. “However, I do not wish to take your stead. I want to go with you. Spirits, who knows what could happen to you as you venture through the enemy’s camp!”

“Let me go alone,” the soldier almost begs, “so I can protect you from any sort of danger that would dare lay a hand on you if you would insist to come. Yes, I cannot give you a promise of return. But it would be best if I would go by myself.”

Donghyuck does not give him a reply.

“The one thing I only ask you of is to spare yourself from this. For you deserve to live, my love.”

“Idle words,” says the stripling. He eyes the older man before him as if with utter disbelief for even considering an idea of such ridiculousness. “If I deserve to live, then so do you.”

“Do you not understand? For the love of all that is holy, I do not want you to die! If they were to take a life, it would be mine and certainly not yours!”

A painful slap shuts the soldier up.

“Unbelievable,” Donghyuck feels the growing rage from the deepest parts of his soul. This man standing before him, the man he’s grown to love despite having to face battles after battles, this man of immeasurable courage: Lee Minhyung, the love of his life, who wishes to leave him behind and to get himself possibly killed in the hands of their merciless assailants.

_Yet again, he proves his foolishness._

“How dare you say such things to me! After all these years, now is the time you choose to leave me?” At this rate, Donghyuck can no longer find it in himself to care if he is raising his voice or if he has drawn unwanted attention. He just needs to get his point across. “What good would my future bring me if you are not there to begin with? Nothing in this forsaken world would ever matter to me again if I lose you this very night!”

“Donghyuck—”

The soldier halts with his words unspoken as he witnesses the first tear fall from his lover’s eyes. His heart shatters like fine glass at the sight that he has created for himself to see. His lover has always looked best wearing a smile of genuine joy and not with the presence of tears cascading freely down his rosy cheeks.

 _This is my doing._ Minhyung clenches his fist. _I did this to him._

“How selfish. Who are you to decide what would be best for me? Who are you to dismiss what I would want for myself? Who are you to do all that, Minhyung? Do my feelings even matter to you?”

The latter wastes no time and immediately pulls Donghyuck into his embrace. His arms find their way around the younger, holding him tight enough that he would not be able to escape.

Donghyuck thrashes around in his embrace at first, landing a couple of harsh blows on the soldier’s chest enough that they could actually hurt. But Minhyung, much to the younger one’s dismay, does not relent. If anything, he tightens his hold around him even more.

“Darling,” the older presses the gentlest of kisses on Donghyuck’s forehead. “Cease your tears. Your feelings and your own decisions matter the most, and it was wrong of me not to keep that in mind. I deeply apologize, my love. Please stop crying.”

“Let me go with you,” Donghyuck tries to convince him one last time. “If there was one wish I would want the gods to grant me, that would be dying beside you. I care about you so much, Minhyung, I cannot bear to live on without you. If I die this evening, then so be it.”

Minhyung sighs against the strands of the stripling’s smooth, black hair. “I see that I can no longer persuade you from staying if you are so adamant like this. Must I yield at this point?”

“Please.”

“Very well.” Another sigh leaves the soldier’s mouth. “We will leave when the night falls.”

Hours before they will be taking their leave out of the camp, Minhyung finds himself standing beside Donghyuck as he lays out their plan for their leaders to discuss. He carefully maps out the route that they will be taking, with Donghyuck graciously giving the soldier his suggestions as to which paths would endanger them and which ones would not. It did not take too long for the entire council to accept it.

Among all of them, the prince stares with his obvious gratitude spilling from the corner of his eyes. “Thank you,” he speaks with a choked voice. “I am afraid I cannot thank the both of you enough for this act of bravery. However, we still wish we can reward you with anything you would want for yourselves. Name it and it shall be yours.”

_Anything you would want for yourselves._

Minhyung chooses not to speak.

After all, he already has what he wants.

_Love._

And love comes in the form of a precious hand holding his own in a tight grip right now; a hand calloused by so much time working and fighting in a war that does not seem to end, a hand that anchors him back to life every single time he wishes to give in to the temptation of finally having his peace in death, a hand that serves as his very own pillar of strength in times of helplessness, a hand he has always been holding tightly in fear of losing the love of his life.

Lee Donghyuck.

There is nothing else in this world that he would ever wish to have for himself but Lee Donghyuck, _his_ Donghyuck.

Mark suppresses a smile at the thought of being able to call Donghyuck his.

On the other hand, the latter seems to be in deep thoughts as he subconsciously bites his lower lip in nervousness. Minhyung knows that he only does this when he is worrying about things that he has no absolute control of. He simply watches as Donghyuck’s eyes — his _beautiful_ eyes — begin to water. And it is painfully obvious to the older that he is trying to keep his emotions at bay. So Minhyung decides to lace their fingers together in genuine concern, his way of saying that he is there for him.

Donghyuck gives his hand a gentle squeeze in return.

“I only ask for one thing, your highness.” He says, meeting the curious eyes of the prince. The royal blood signals for him to continue. “My mother, she is here in this camp.’

The prince then asks, “and what about your mother?”

“She would not wish for me to go.” Donghyuck explains with hesitation clear in his voice. _He must still be weighing everything out,_ Minhyung concludes. He knows it would not be easy for Donghyuck to decide. He would be leaving a person bearing quite a huge part of his life behind and within the safe borders of their camp after all.

But Minhyung understands. Unlike him who had no one after the fall of their city, Donghyuck survived with his mother. It would only be reasonable for him to think of her before he leaves the camp and heads out straight to the arms of trouble with nothing in his hands but luck. For a moment, Minhyung begins to doubt again - if it would be better for Donghyuck to stay here with his mother instead.

 _But he already told you what he wants,_ his heart argues with his head. _He is going with you, and there is nothing you can do about it. There is no way that you would be able to convince him if he is this headstrong with his decision._

“I know that she would want to follow me — I am _sure_ that she would — for I am all that she has left after this war has stripped her of everything that she once had. If I die tonight, then she will—”

He cuts himself off as a tear finally falls, but Donghyuck is quick to wipe it away.

The prince already knows what he was about to say.

“You would not need to worry about her anymore.” A small smile of assurance paints itself across his lips. “I shall take care of her for you. I will care for her the same way I cared for the mother I had lost long, long ago. And this I promise you, young one. Take my words with you as you leave to battle against the uncertainty of tonight.”

Donghyuck smiles. “Thank you, Prince Youngho.”

“No need to thank me,” the prince replies. “Leave with my sword, comrades. And please, do try to come back alive and well. We will hope for your return.”

“We will try our best, your highness.” Minhyung bows in respect. “May all of you remain safe. Until we return.”

Donghyuck pulls away from the soldier with little to no force, seemingly out of breath as he stares at him with worry dancing behind those arresting dark orbs of his.

“Calm yourself down, Minhyung.” Donghyuck warns; his words commanding, his tone shamelessly dripping with unmitigated affection. “Why do you seem like you are denying us a chance of survival? Stop acting like this will be our last night, would you?”

Minhyung pointedly ignores the younger, choosing to close the gap separating the two of them instead of giving him a reply. He presses a trail of gentle and loving kisses on Donghyuck’s beautiful, sun-tanned skin: starting with his cheek, pressing one along his jawline, another just right below Donghyuck’s ear, slowly moving down until he presses one last kiss on the younger’s bare shoulder.

Finally, Minhyung speaks.

“Can you blame me?” Closing his eyes and burying his face into the crook of the younger’s neck, he asks Donghyuck. “This war has done nothing but to give us the same sense of hopelessness. In a few hours now, we are to depart from this place with a prayer for luck — one that we would gravely need for ourselves if we are to meet our possible demise later on.”

“So allow me to say it again, Donghyuck.” He pulls away, his anxious gaze fixated on the ground. “Can you blame me?”

With a shaky sigh, Donghyuck cups the older’s face in between the warm palms of his hands - his thumbs softly caressing the porcelain skin of his lover. He coaxes Minhyung to look into his eyes with a gentle nudge, giving him a small smile of assurance when he eventually does. “No,” Donghyuck answers, “but I cannot bear to see you suffer like this. Not anymore.”

He brings himself up to stand on the tips of his toes before kissing his lover’s forehead ever so gingerly. His lips remain pressed on the other’s skin for a moment before Donghyuck pulls away.

“Lessen the load on your shoulders, love. If we are to survive tonight, know that I shall be standing next to you as we celebrate. If we are destined to die, then I will make sure that I shall die right beside you - that I shall die with you no matter what happens. And even until then, death would not dare take me away from you.” A brief moment of silence for a quick kiss on the nose. “Do you trust me enough for that?”

Donghyuck utters those words as if he is the one writing their future out for the two of them, as if the three Fates have no choice but to spin the threads of their lives according to what he tells them to do.

Minhyung is then left to stare at him in awe, his eyes brimming with tears that are just begging to fall. His gaze holds nothing but genuine love for the wonderful boy he is holding in his arms, completely convinced that he may be the luckiest man in the world despite being caught up in this endless war for a new home.

“Yes,” is what he tells Donghyuck, “I suppose I do.”

The latter grins wider, “good.”

Donghyuck seals his promise with a searing kiss.

Minutes before leaving, Minhyung falls into a state of panic.

“It is not yet too late for you to go back, you know.” He frets, his hands starting to shake and his eyes dancing everywhere but never glancing at the younger. “Donghyuck, please—”

Said boy grabs the older by both of his shoulders to stop him from pacing back and forth. “No.” He tells him, that one word laced with nothing else but sheer determination and finality. “One of us is not leaving without the other. If one dies for this task, then shall it be that the other too will die with him. We have promised each other that. Or do you not remember even your own words, Minhyung?”

“I do. I remember them clearly, but—”

“Enough then,” demands the stripling. “Why is it that you are already worrying about the future when you know absolutely nothing of it?”

Minhyung is wise enough to stay silent.

“I ask for you to stop that right now. You are doing nothing but to worry yourself to death.” Donghyuck frowns. “Do no more of that, my love. Please.”

Hearing that soothes the older by a bit, tension slowly leaving the confines of his body. “No more of that,” he says. “No more.” He repeats one more time as if he is trying to convince himself.

Minhyung takes a step closer, his hand reaching forward to its rightful place. Smiling, Donghyuck takes it and weaves their fingers together. Right then and there, Minhyung recalls all the words he has said to the other a few moments before they ready themselves to leave. He looks up and finds himself lost in Donghyuck’s eyes; those eyes he first met with his very own after he struggled to escape his fallen city, which belongs to the boy who begins to care for his heart in just mere months.

Had they met in a different time, Minhyung would have courted him. Then Minhyung would have married him. Minhyung would have taken him to various places just to see him smile. Minhyung would have seen him fuss around in their kitchen, worrying over what he should cook for their dinner. 

He would have picked fruits with him in their garden. He would have envied their very own dog for stealing his husband’s attention away from him. He would have bought him everything he could ever want, granted him his every wish, given him anything he asked for.

Minhyung would have been able to love him without any fear of being killed at any time.

And yet they are here, existing in one place at a time where there is war.

Fighting beside each other for their lives.

_What else could they do but to be played around by the gods above?_

“Minhyung?”

The soldier snaps himself out of his trance. He faces Donghyuck, forcing his worries for their future to subside for tonight — just like what the younger had asked of him. “What is it, my love?”

“Before we leave,” Donghyuck starts, “will you recite our oath with me one last time?”

Minhyung smiles, “of course.”

He does not need to be told twice.

“In this war that knows no mercy towards any mere mortal,” the soldier recites, “a path of doom for us all lies ahead.”

“Take nothing with you but love that is eternal,” the stripling continues, “and I shall do the same.”

“For love is above life and death; and through it, we shall never part.”

Hand in hand, Minhyung had led the way across the trench with Donghyuck in tow. For a moment, the latter is starting to believe in the entity of luck — for it has been fairly easy to sneak through the enemy’s territory in the past few hours. They hid and observed for quite awhile before they started moving, hours right after the last flares of their fire had finally burned out.

 _Maybe we can make it through,_ he convinces himself.

Not too far from the trench, Minhyung catches the sight of around twenty men before them, laying as if there are just peacefully sleeping on the ground and shielding their bodies from the cold of this dangerous night using thick blankets made out of cottony wool.

_Or maybe not._

The older halts in his tracks, turning around to lean closer and whisper a few words into Donghyuck’s ear. While doing so, Minhyung carefully unsheathes the prince’s majestic sword from its scabbard.

“Stay behind and keep watch for me, would you?” He asks him. “I need to clear the way for us.”

Donghyuck, knowing his voice would still be unnaturally loud despite already whispering, chooses to nod his head in agreement. He takes a few steps back and merely observes as Minhyung quietly moves forward to make a quick work of killing each one.

He approaches the closest soldier to him and aims the sharp tip of the sword right at the man’s chest where his heart is located. Without hesitating, Minhyung plunges the sword into the man’s chest fast — successfully piercing his heart, and leading to the soldier’s abrupt yet silent death. Donghyuck feels a huge wave of relief crashing into him when he realizes that not even the slightest sound escaped from the now dead man. Minhyung looks up to meet his gaze, his anxious eyes asking if he has done well.

Donghyuck sends him a small, satisfied smile.

 _Nothing,_ he mouths to the older, _I heard nothing._

Minhyung nods, already moving on to his next victim. He quickly finishes another soldier, then another, and another. While he continues to slaughter the sleeping men, Donghyuck’s eyes dart around their vicinity, looking for any possible threat that could potentially blow their cover. He sharpens his hearing to alert himself of approaching enemies.

Donghyuck decides to join the silent slaughter Minhyung is doing as soon as he finishes his ninth kill, fearing that they might be running out of time. He grabs hold of his own dagger and walks off to stab the nearest man to him.

Bloodbath falls upon the enemy’s camp as both quiet intruders pierces the hearts of men after men. Donghyuck begins to welcome himself into the arms of their unexpected luck this very night. The doubts he previously had earlier have gone and yielded. Minhyung plunges the sword into the last heaving chest, huffing as he eventually pulls it out — the faultless sword of Prince Youngho dripping with nothing but their opponents’ blood. Donghyuck feels oddly proud of successfully clearing their path sans any noise.

The older crosses the distance and pulls Donghyuck closer to him. Minhyung places a protective hand on the small of his back, guiding Donghyuck away from where the dead bodies lay unnoticed.

“Anytime now, the sun will rise.” Minhyung warns him, his lips pressed on the shell of the younger’s ear. “We have gone more than halfway through their camp. We must move faster, or they would—”

“Then let us keep moving.” Donghyuck cuts him off, refusing to hear any more words of helplessness come out from the other’s mouth. “Clear more men in this camp if we have to.”

And that they do.

Every sleeping soldier they stumble onto as they near the end of the camp, they kill with no hesitation lingering in the air. At this point, the silver glint of Donghyuck’s dagger vanishes under the layer of thick, red blood covering the entire weapon. The sword Minhyung holds in his grasp is no exception to the bloody mess they have created as well.

But as Donghyuck retracts his dagger from being buried into a soldier’s chest, his eye catches the slightest bit of distraction from far away.

Fear begins to dig its ugly claws into his stuttering heart, piercing the delicate walls of it to utter failure.

“Minhyung,” he whispers loud enough for the other to hear him still. The older looks from his victim to cast a look of worry towards his lover. “The sunrise—”

He looks over to the horizon and sees the sun rising from a distance, shining its heavenly light to uncloak the darkness brought upon them by the previous night. His eyes widen in horror when he distinctly hears the stomping of hooves on the ground growing louder and louder by each second.

Minhyung turns to Donghyuck, rushing forward to grab the younger’s wrist and pulling him towards the nearest trees for an attempt to take cover.

But it was too late for them for the leader of the incoming troop had already seen a glimpse of Donghyuck’s retreating figure before the great trunks of the trees could shield them away from wary eyes.

“Over there!” A soldier yells. “The intruder ran past those trees!”

At the thunderous sound of their galloping horses, Donghyuck attempts to run even faster — eventually matching the hasty strides of the older.

But then an arrow is launched from across the distance, piercing through the skin of Donghyuck’s leg. The sudden shock of pain almost causes the younger to stop running and to fall down pathetically injured on the dry ground.

“Donghyuck!” Minhyung cries out. “No, no! Hang onto me, you can’t—”

“You fool!” He argues, gritting his teeth in pain. “That would do nothing but slow us down! Just keep running, you idiot, I will manage!”

Or so he thought.

The grip Minhyung has around the younger’s wrist begins to loosen slowly until Donghyuck slips from his grasp, slumping down on the ground as the pain in his leg grows worse and worse.

Minhyung has already ran past the huge trees for him to remain unnoticed by the soldiers who have successfully caught up to them by the time he realizes Donghyuck is no longer beside him.

The younger looks up from the ground, both smudges of dried blood and dirt marring his beautiful face, and meets the eyes of his lover.

 _Stay hidden,_ Donghyuck mouths to him. _All will be fine._

Minhyung refuses to believe him.

And yet, he can only watch as the leader steps down from his horse and approaches Donghyuck with huge strides. The leader grips the front of Donghyuck’s shirt and pulls him up abruptly, forcing him to stand on his feet despite clearly having one leg injured by an arrow.

 _I am all alone._ Minhyung clenches both of his fists when he sees how a soldier lands a strong kick on Donghyuck’s side, simply watching as he collapses back down onto the ground. _I will not be able to get us out of here by myself._

Donghyuck begins to cough his blood out.

 _But still._ Minhyung readies his spear. _I promised that I would die with him, not to leave him behind._

As soon as he sees one of the troopers unsheathe his sword, Minhyung springs forward and spears the side of an unsuspecting soldier closest to him.

Now alerted by another presence among them, the enemies run towards Minhyung hoping that they would be able to wound him severely — enough to take him down for good.

Minhyung welcomes them each with the tip of his spear, defending himself so skillfully that he had most of the troopers down after a few minutes of brawling. Minhyung sees blood impatiently rushing out from the huge gashes he had left them with.

“You shall pay for this!”

From the corner of his eyes, he sees the murderous glint of their leader’s sword — unsheathed and already lifted high up in the air to strike Donghyuck, who still is groaning in pain as his wounds continue to bleed. But before the sword can even touch the younger, he abandons his spear and rushes closer to where Donghyuck is.

“Do not touch him!” Minhyung yells. “Please!”

The leader stills, glancing over to where Minhyung is kneeling pitifully. He narrows his eyes at him, an eyebrow arched as if daring him to continue.

“He is innocent!” He pleads. “Kill me instead! Spare his life and take mine!”

Minhyung’s cries, however, are left unheard.

The leader slashes Donghyuck’s throat, the edge of his sword slicing through the air before tearing the delicate skin of the younger. Minhyung watches in horror as blood gushes out. Donghyuck — his lovely Donghyuck — falls on the ground, already starting to grow cold and lifeless.

_Dead._

_Donghyuck is dead._

A surge of unadulterated anger rushes into Minhyung. His hand reaches for a sword one of the troopers had used before Minhyung struck him down with his spear.

He brings himself up to his feet, raising the sword up before swiftly thrusting it into the leader’s chest. He feels no guilt as he pulls the sword out and slashes his throat as well — the same way he murdered Donghyuck. Minhyung feels his hot tears cascading down his cheeks, his body visibly shaking in fury and despair. He screams out loud as he finishes the leader with a deep gash across the torso.

Minhyung takes a few steps back, dropping the sword on the ground as he allows himself to cry.

_I lost him._

He breaks down.

_What else is there to live for?_

Crawling towards his demised lover, Minhyung blindly reaches for Donghyuck’s hand to hold it in his one last time. But the reality of it all crashes onto him once more when he fails to feel the younger’s tight grip on his hand. He cries even harder.

The pain he feels in his heart is nothing compared to that of the pain the arrows piercing through his skin could ever give him. His discomposed mind vaguely registers the unholy multitude of envenomed arrows buried into his flesh as he quietly lays beside his dead lover.

Minhyung slowly loses his grip on his consciousness. His eyes are glazed yet remain focused on the contours of the familiar face he only ever dreams of. His thumb mindlessly caresses the back of Donghyuck’s hand, a solemn smile gracing his own visage as their memories begin to flood inside his head.

_I love you, Donghyuck._

“I love you.”

_  
“Please allow me to help you with those.”_

_Donghyuck nearly screams as he turns to look at the man who scared the daylights out of him. “Do not scare me like that, Minhyung!”_

_The latter only laughs out loud, feeling oddly mischievous. “I have never seen you looking so scared before. Perhaps I should scare you more often.”_

_“How ruthless of you,” Donghyuck scoffs. “I feel as if you had just marched over here to tease. Nevertheless, I still believe that you are kind enough to leave me alone.”_

_Minhyung does not, unfortunately. Instead, he wordlessly bends over to pick up a huge basket filled with various fruits that Donghyuck has been struggling to carry after he finished gathering fruits for the other soldiers to eat._

_“We have to keep moving,” he tells the younger. “People are starving, Donghyuck.”_

_The latter only rolls his eyes in response._

_For a moment, they walk beside each other in silence — silence that is not, in any way, uncomfortable to the both of them. Minhyung enjoys the sight of the beautiful trees, enjoys the chirping of the birds flying just above their heads, enjoys the perfectly warm weather._

_But he especially loves how the sun casts a ray of light over the pleasing features of his friend, loves how his eyes are apparently blessed enough to witness such a fleeting moment of perfection at a time like this._

_Donghyuck is insanely beautiful that mere words would never be able to give him the justice that he deserves._

_“Is something wrong?” Donghyuck asks him, noticing how the older seems to have fallen into a dazed stupor. He raises an eyebrow in confusion. “Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?”_

_“Nothing,” is Minhyung’s reply. “No reason.”_

_Before Donghyuck could even open his mouth to ask more questions, Minhyung beats him to it._

_“Will we gaze at the stars tonight like we usually do?”_

_Donghyuck swallows a noise of confusion. He is not blind to simply dismiss how the older seems to be acting a little too odd to him today. “Of course,” he tells him instead. “Why would I break our tradition?”_

_“I just assumed you would be keeping Yukhei company tonight.” Minhyung shrugs, looking away. “The way he held onto you when you tripped over your own feet earlier today… it was as if he had no intentions of letting you go.”_

_Donghyuck tries not to smile. “You awfully sound like you seem to be jealous because of that.”_

_“What?” Minhyung sputters, making a fool out of himself as the basket in his arms swings unsteadily from side to side. He struggles to keep the fresh fruits inside of it. “Of course not! Nonsense!”_

_The younger can no longer help but to laugh, causing a frown to settle on Minhyung’s face._

_“I should have you know,” Donghyuck starts as soon as his laugh dies down, “that Yukhei is interested in someone else. And not me.”_

_“Oh,” is Minhyung’s reply._

_Donghyuck only smiles at the older’s supposed eloquence._

_“And one more thing," he says. Minhyung turns to look at him, waiting for him to continue. “At the end of the day — no matter who I was with or whatever I was doing before, I will always choose you.”_

_With all the courage he has left in his body, Donghyuck faces the older — a shy smile painting itself across his roseate lips. “I will always come back to you, Minhyung.”_

_Silence._

_Donghyuck begins to worry._

_He was just about to apologize — already planning to take back what he said — when Minhyung finally speaks._

_“Good.” He says, smiling wide. “Then I will always wait for you to do so.”  
_

Lost souls, or so they are referred to by everyone else, wander along the banks of the wide rivers of the Underworld — for they were robbed of a proper burial to help them cross over. Most of them were once great soldiers of various wars, willingly throwing themselves into the open arms of their own demise as they fought for their own lives and for their own cities. Some of them had met an untimely death, some murdered by their own people, and some even chose to kill themselves for reasons of agony that only they can tell.

Yet restless as they are, they will continue to wander around aimlessly — for they were doomed to do so for a hundred years.

But among them are two men, who had both died in the middle of a war for a new home. One used to be a valiant and experienced soldier, while the other was merely just a hapless stripling. Both were unfortunate, for they had not been buried appropriately much to their dismay. So they remain to be eventually forgotten, restless, and still wandering.

Yet never did they ever feel alone.

For they have always walked beside each other for many, many years now.

And still, they will be walking beside each other even after the hundred years of their restlessness would finally come to an end.

Together.

Hand in hand.

**Author's Note:**

> if you made it here, you're just truly amazing :) ily
> 
> i hope this was okay.. i really tried


End file.
